The National Weather Service says central Arkansas is at the highest risk of severe storms later today.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Strong storms are sweeping through parts of the Midwest, spawning damaging winds, large hail and at least one tornado.

The National Weather Service says central Arkansas, including the Little Rock area, is at the highest risk of severe storms later today.

Forecasters are also asking people to be alert for possible tornadoes in a wide swath of the Midwest and South, stretching from Omaha, Neb., south to Texas and east to northern Louisiana and Mississippi.

Nebraska was the first state to have reported tornado. The National Weather Service says one touched down this afternoon in a rural area in central Nebraska, but no damage is reported.

Tornado watches are widespread across the Midwest and southern states, being issued in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.

Forecasters say even if tornadoes don't form, some areas could see large hail and high winds.

A severe thunderstorm watch covers portions of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri through tonight.

To the southeast, northern Louisiana and Mississippi are bracing for severe storms along with the possibility of flash flooding.

Top 10: Tornado Photos

Two tornado funnels touch down close to downtown during a thunderstorm August 29, 2002 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo: Getty)

This photo taken 29 August, 2006 and received by AFP 06 September, 2006 shows a waterspout forming and touching down along the Mekong River near the Chatamuk Junction during an afternoon storm in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. There was no reported damage along the river due the waterspout, although such occurances have long been recognized as a serious marine danger which can found at sea, on lakes and on rivers. (Photo: Getty)

A waterspout touches down over Lake Okeechobee July 9, 2007 in Okeechobee, Florida. The waterspout was formed by a passing rain storm that brought welcome rain to a region in the middle of a drought. (Photo: Getty)

A photo taken in Nice shows a tornado above Marina Baie des Anges on June 9, 2013. According to the national meteorological office this occurs on average once a year in Nice. (Photo: VALERY HACHE AFP/Getty Images)